Roseman Says Reid Took The Eagles’ Top Rated Pass Rusher With The 23rd Pick

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PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs took defensive end, Dee Ford, with the 23rd pick in the NFL draft on Thursday night. While the Eagles were awaiting their selection at 26 after trading back four slots in the first round, the Chiefs pick may have seemed somewhat harmless from a fan perspective, but inside the Eagles war room there was some angst.

“When we were at the 26th pick, I think between 23 and 26 the dynamic changed for us a little bit because we knew there was a team looking to trade up for a pass rusher,” Roseman said Friday on the WIP Morning Show. “And then when Andy [Reid] took a pass rusher at 23, and where our board was for that, that was the pass rusher — the next pass rusher for us.”

The Eagles settled for outside linebacker, Marcus Smith, 6’3″, 251-pounds from Louisville with the 26th pick. Ford, 6’2″, 252 pounds, was projected much higher than Smith, but does have a history of injuries. Smith has tremendous upside and fits nicely as a pass rusher in the Eagles’ 3-4 defensive scheme.

Roseman, who has said all along the Eagles will draft the best available player, explained why the Eagles went with a pass rusher over a wide receiver in the first round.

“We’ve said from day one that we think that is a really good receiver draft and we didn’t think it was a great pass rusher draft,” Roseman said. “And if we have those guys in the same tier we’re going to take a pass rusher.”

Roseman explained the Eagles were considering trading back again, at 26, actually.

“We were looking at trading back again and I think our concern was at that 26th pick, we had just a couple of guys left with that same grade,” Roseman explained. “And we were worried that if we dropped, 5, 10, 14 picks that none of them would be there and we’d end up going back another tier.”

The Eagles have the 54th pick in the second round, which begins Friday night at 7:00 p.m.